Nova Blades
The Nova Blades, are a Successor Legion of the resolute and savage White Scars created during the 3rd 'Numroi' Founding. At some point during the early 33rd Millennium, the Nova Blades were created in the wake of the dark times of the Nova Terra Interregnum. Like their progenitors, the Nova Blades make use of ritual facial scarring to denote both the rank and achievements of Astartes in the Legion. These scars are applied during a long, sacred Chapter ceremony called "the Blooding." The blood drawn from the faces of the Space Marines during this ritual is then mixed with the drinks served during the feast that always follows the completion of the ceremony. Legion History The Nova Blades are a Successor Legion created as a part of the massive 3rd Founding in 098.M33. Descended from the venerable White Scars' gene-stock, the Nova Blades brought honour and glory to their designated Legion number over the next couple of decades of service. Nova Terra Interregnum Beginning in 075.M33, the Ur-Council of Nova Terra declared independence from the rule of the High Lords of Terra, and declared the whole Segmentum Pacificus independent of Imperial rule. They had grown disenfranchised with the burgeoning Imperial state religion, in the form of the religious organisation known as the Ecclesiarchy, that zealously promoted the worship of the Emperor of Mankind as the one, true God of Humanity. To compound the secession of the Segmentum Pacificus, two First Founding Space Marine Legions, the feral Space Wolves and the stoic Iron Hands, joined the rebellious Ur-Council of Nova Terra. The two Primarchs were later followed by a number of Legion Masters, including the Nova Blades', who also joined the Secessionist's cause. The Nova Blades were once counted as one of the most loyal legions that had served the Imperium of Man. Many Imperial Scholars debate to this day the reasons the Nova Blades seceded from the Imperium. The only one aspect that is agreed upon is that the Ecclesiarchy is the biggest cause of this once loyal and venerable legion turning traitor. Sharing their forefathers' battle-lust and aggressive style of lightning warfare, the Nova Blades have a troubled history. Though they have won great victories in the Imperium's name then that of the Nova Terra Regency, questions remain regarding the stability of their gene-seed. The Nova Blades relentlessly hunt down and destroy threats to the Nova Terra Regency from within and without. The most preferred of foes is the Imperium of Man. Often subject to brutal raids and forays into their territorial border worlds. The Nova Blades fight with crushing waves, striking so fast and so savagely as to utterly overwhelm the foe. Sandstorms are kicked up in the charges of their vast bike squadrons, and the very earth trembles under the footfalls of their swarming Legionaries as they charge headlong into battle, heedless of losses in the face of a worthy foe. Legion Home World On the vast steppe-lands of the fertile Feudal World of Al Erdene, the Nova Blades Space Marine Legion make their home. It lies in the Viridis Sector of the galaxy in the Nova Terra Regency. The inhabitants refer to the name of their world by their native tongue as Al Erdene, (Crimson Jewel), rather than by its official High Gothic name,Tyros Stella. The tribes of Al Erdene have managed to struggle back from the terrible destruction of the Age of Strife to a pre-industrial level of technology. The Nova Blades raise their Neophytes from the savage horse nomads. Due to extreme conditions that the people of Al Erdene live make these Neophytes well-suited to the Nova Blades' highly mobile way of war. Culture The population of Al Erdene are all nomads who keep their herds across the vast steppe-lands. The animals' rich flesh and dark blood form the basic subsistence diet of the steppe tribes. During the summer months, the tribes drive their herds towards the heart of the continent, following the spring thaw in search of new grown pasture. In winter time, they retreat towards the outer grasslands abutting the coasts, and there their animals find enough grazing to keep them alive until the year turns. This world possesses a single continent that covers almost half of its surface. The centre of this massive landmass is prone to such extremes of temperature that it remains uninhabited, a baking desert in the summer which becomes a sub-zero sea of sand and snow over the winter. Between these deadly lands of the continental centre and the more habitable coasts is a belt of rich savannah lands thousands of miles deep, punctuated by mountain chains, mighty inland lakes, and vast rivers. Only towards the continent's coasts does the grassland give way to verdant forests, encircling the entire continent with a thin arboreal fringe. Al Erdenes' society was once composed of fractured, scattered nomadic tribes who spent their lives herding their animals and warring with one another for food, land, horses, and dominance. For centuries they existed like this, perfecting both their ways of war and the breeding of their unique horses, until the Imperium rediscovered them and began bringing them back into the Emperor's fold. Al Erdene is a rugged and striking world, slightly smaller than Terra, dominated by broad, arid steppes. Its single continent spans nearly half of the planet, with the rest being deep, impenetrable seas. At the centre of Al Erdene's single continent is a vast desert. Brutally extreme in its temperature variations and weather patterns, it is a baking desert during the summer season and a howling, icy expanse of sand, snow, and wind in the winter. The steppes and savannah for which the planet is known ring this central desert, and are home to nearly all of the planet's population. This scant habitable area is defined by a stunning array of rolling plains, soaring mountain ranges, deep inland seas, and powerful, rushing rivers. At the very extremes of the continent, all along its long coastline, are dense forests of tall evergreens. There is only one city on Attila, the bustling metropolis of Khadagan. It is here that the Al Erdene have their government, their main trading centres, and the small, barely tolerated Imperial and Ecclesiarchy missions. Fortress-Monastery Khagan's Fury is the Fortress-Monastery of the Nova Blades Space Marines. Located in the heart of the Mönkh Saridag Mountains on Al Erdene, it sits atop the most inaccessible peak on the entire planet. The gates of this great fortress are lined with the severed heads of countless defeated foes while its feasting halls are heavily hung with wealth taken in the Nova Blades' campaigns. Like all Fortress-Monasteries, it is armoured and void-shielded to withstand any siege of bombardment and its walls bristle with enough firepower to flatten a city. Aerial defenses include an array of Icarus Pattern Lascannons and Defense Lasers. Legion Recruitment Notable Campaigns Legion Organisation The Nova Blades preferred tactics of battle are shock assaults alone with a disproportionate number of Jetbike Squads and Land Speeder squadrons within their order of battle. This highly mobile lightning-attack fighting style means the Nova Blades do not make use of as many heavy weapons as other Legions. Interestingly, within the Nova Blades Legion, novices do not serve as scouts in the field. Instead, they earn their understanding of war through attending on their more senior brothers, and learning from them the example of what it means to be an Astartes. Specialist Ranks & Formations Officer Ranks *''Noyan-Khan'' - Current title used when referring to the Legion Master of the Nova Blades. This is a bygone rank within the White Scars Legion of old, utilised by the senior commanders who were in charge of separate ordu; divisional-size formations within the ancient White Scars Legion, sometimes comprised of up to twenty Brotherhoods. *''Jagutu-Darga'' - The Space Marine officer who commands an entire Nova Blades Jagun or 'Brotherhood' (Chapter), and is essentially the Legion's version of a standard Space Marines Chapter Captain. Like the Noyan Khan, the Chapter's Darga are chosen by its Stormcallers, who oversee a series of physical, mental and spiritual trials when a vacancy opens to determine which of the Nova Blades' Battle-Brothers are worthy of being elevated to command the fellows of his Brotherhood. *'Stormcaller' - The Shuurga Duudagch, or 'Stormcallers' are the Nova Blades equivalent of a standard Legion's cadre of Librarians, though the Stormcallers are steeped in the deeply-ingrained mystical traditions of the tribal shamans and holy men who rode the plains of their ancestor's home world of Chogoris. The Stormcallers believe that their powers are connected to the animistic spirits of the land and the air, and that as long as these natural forces fight alongside them, the Nova Blades will always be victorious. These elemental, animistic beliefs and the highly stylized Force Staffs used by Stormcallers tie these warrior-mystics to their shamanistic past on the steppes of Chogoris. The Stormcallers are the ones who continue the traditions of inducting Neophytes and newly elevated Noyan-Khans of their Legion. The other responsibilities of the Stormcallers include teaching Aspirants the core beliefs of their Legion. They firmly believe it is the manifest duty to destroy the enemies of the Nova Terra Regency. *''Emchi'' - Emchi is the name given by the Nova Blades in the ancient Chogorian dialect to their Legion's Apothecaries. *''Ariun Khün'' - The Ariun Khün or 'Holy Man' are the Nova Blade's equivalent of a Chaplain of a standard Legion. *''Saitai Rait'' - The Saitai Rait or 'Forge Wright', are the Nova Blades' equivalent of a Techmarine of a standard Legion. Line Ranks *''Darga'' - A Space Marine equivalent of a standard Space Marine Sergeant, who oversees an Arbatu (Squad), a military unit of 10 Battle-Brothers. *''Akh Daichin'' - The Akh Daichin or 'Brother-Warrior' is the equivalent of a fully-fledged battle-brother of the Nova Blades Legion. Specialist Formations *''Kheshig'' - The elite cadre of warriors who make up the most veteran and skilled warriors within the Legion. A select few serve as the personal Honour Guard of the Noyan-Khan and his subordinate commanders when on campaign. *''Sagyar Mazan'' - The ancient Chogorian tradition of granting mercy to those who have committed a treacherous act or committed a catastrophic failure. Instead of being rewarded with a quick death delivered by the hand of a warrior's superior, they are sometimes granted mercy, and their punishment is commuted to exile due to mitigating circumstances. Those exiled from their Brotherhood are known as penitents, or the Sagyar Mazan, and it is their fate to undertake a Death Oath - to seek out an honourable death and in doing so, wash away any stain of honour. Legion Recruitment Legion Gene-Seed Primarch's Curse: (To be added) Legion Combat Doctrine The Nova Blades' Legion specialize in ship-to-ship actions and high speed insertion assault. The Legion's combat doctrine was formed around this specialty, emphasising quick, highly coordinated assaults upon any perceived weak points in the enemy defense line. The Nova Blades prefer to use shock assault tactics along with Jetbike Squads and Land Speeder squadrons for ground assaults against the enemy. They favour the use of boarding actions and Drop Pod assaults so that they could use their mobility and heavy firepower to overwhelm the foe quickly and not get bogged down into an extended fire fight or slugging match, always staying very mobile, and if necessary, whittling the opposition down through attrition during repeated lightning strikes. Legion Beliefs The Nova Blades believe that their Legion was created for the sole task of seeking out and annihilating Mankind's foes. Being bellicose and barbarous in nature, disdains martial trappings and the ordered obedience of other more stalwart Legions. The Nova Blades have made up for this "flaw" by gaining a fearsome reputation for sheer undaunted endurance and destructive wrath. Their primary goal and purpose as a Legion is a simple one: to extinguish the lives of those that would have the audacity to contest the Nova Terra Regency's manifest destiny or threaten humanity. Notable Nova Blades *'Subotai Noyan-Khan' - The patriarch and first Noyan-Khan (Legion Master) of the Nova Blades, Subotai was one of Primarch Jaghatai Khan's most ruthless captains within the White Scars Legion. Legion Wargear & Equipment *''Guan Dao'' (Power Lance) - A signature weapon of the Nova Blades, the Guan Dao is a Chogorian glaive, a Power Lance. Considered blessed weapons, a Guan Dao possess a two-metre long metal shaft with a single-edged, curved blade which is primarily used by Nova Blades Astartes to extend their reach or to increase angular momentum, and thus striking power, when the weapon is swung. This makes the Guan Dao ideal for charging from the back of vehicles or striking at foes while beyond the reach of their weapons. When used in close combat on foot, its purpose is more to disarm an opponent and to deflect their strikes. *'Scimitar Blade (Power Sword)' - One of the favoured weapons of the tribes of the Nova Blades is the scimitar -- a light, curved blade well-suited to their mounted style of warfare. It is to little surprise that the armouries of the Nova Blades contain many power swords forged in the style of traditional Chogorian scimitars. Legion Relics Legion Fleet Legion Appearance Legion Colours Legion Badge The Nova Blades' Legion Badge is a large stylised white coloured skull, a pair of kilig (Turko-Mongol sabres) centered behind it, on a field of black. The skull has a large black lightning bolt on the forehead, denoting their lineage as proud Sons of the Khagan. This traditional symbol is said to represent the swiftness and savagery of the Nova Blades, inherited from their forebears. Allies Enemies Imperium of Man Notable Quotes By the Nova Blades About the Nova Blades Gallery File:Nova_Blades_Livery_Shield.png|Livery Shield of the Nova Blades Legion. File:NB_Legionary_Vet.png|Veteran Legionary of the elite Kheshig of the 1st Brotherhood, 1st Chapter of the Nova Terra Regency File:NB_Legionary_Tac.png|A Nova Blades Tactical Legionary of the 6th Brotherhood, 1stCompany of the Nova Terra Regency Category:Nova Terra Regency